P2P Seminar
A workshop in the context of the "From Practice to Policy" conference.
P2P Seminar
The first two days of the P2P conference were devoted to the seminar. At the heart of the seminar discussions were 15 different media projects, who were presented as case studies of 'good practice' in the field of new media and culture in Europe. The member organisations of the Virtual Platform, who had selected the foreign projects from amongst their European partners, added their 'cases' to those of the guests.
The aim was to learn about and to evaluate current European media practice, and to specify the crucial problem areas that local, national and European policy makers needed to be aware of and should tackle. The results of the seminar were summarized in a document, The Amsterdam Agenda, which described desirable developments within the field of European media culture and suggested policies.
from the essay:
P2P Seminar: Study & Themes
The analysis of case studies and the study into the conditions of and the impediments to 'good practice' within the field of new media are guided by the following practical questions. The study that will be produced in preparation of the conference will include summary descriptions of the invited initiatives and organisations based on these questions.
* what is the initiative's aim and main working field?
* what are the artistic, cultural, and political criteria behind the initiative's policies?
* which media and technical facilities are being used?
* what kind of organisational structure does the initiative have?
* what is the initiative's funding structure?
* what kind of relation does it have with national and international government agencies?
* what are the local, national, and international network structures within which the initiative functions?
As the first two questions are likely to produce a wide variety of themes and criteria, we will focus the discussion on the following thematic areas:
1. Designing Cities and Networks Multicultural community-building (this will include art networks in both Eastern and Western Europe), national identities versus European culture.
2. Cultural Heritage and Media The creation of national audio-visual archives versus non-hierarchical models. In addition: attempts to promote access to these archives using a multimedia approach.
3. Digital Art Education Transdisciplinary models of art and design education in new media. The relation of art to new models of education. The relation between art education and vocational training.
4. Designing the New Media Space Interface design and interactive design. Demonstrations of existing interfaces, and discussions between commercial and non-profit organisations on interfaces and the future of the interface.
5. Defining the Public Domain Relationships between market and culture: high versus low culture; an economically oriented European policy versus bottom-up relations with the arts. Relation between academic knowledge institutions and the arts.
Participants
MUU Media Base (FIN)
Nederlands Instituut voor Mediakunst (NL)
MEDIA-GN (NL)
Re-Lab (LV)
Domus Academy (I)
C3 (H)
De Balie (NL)
Artec (GB)
ART+COM (D)
Ars Electronica Center (A)
Kunsthochschule für Medien (D)
IRCAM (F)
Radio B92 (YU)
Interfaculty of Image and Sound (NL)
FACT (GB)
Netherlands Design Institute (NL)
Nettime (EUR)
Open Studio/WRO (PL)
Paradiso (NL)
UIA / PHONOS (E)
Public Netbase (A)
Waag Society (NL)
Steim (NL)
V2_Organisation (NL)
Zentrum für Kunst und Medientechnologie (D)
